Meter for concrete-mixing machines



Patented Dec. 3, 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JOSEPH EGGERT, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE JAEGER MACHINE COMPANY, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO METER FOR CONCRETE MIXING MACHINES Application filed June 15,

This invention relates to means whereby the number of rotations to be made by the mixing drum of a concrete mixing machine in the mixing of each batch of the component materials may be made uniform so as to insure uniformity of the product of several batches for a given job. The invention as herein shown and described is especially applicable to a concrete mixing machine having a drum of the non-tilting variety and which has a drum-discharging means operable independently f the drum.

The object of the invention is to provide such a means of improved and simplified construction, the parts being of economical manufacture, and reliable in operation.

The invention is embodied in the example herein shown and described, the features of novelty being finally claimed.

In the accompanying drawing Figure 1 illustrates in side elevation a concrete mixed having my invention applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a view in elevation and on a larger scale than in Fig. 1 of the meter mechanism, the cover of the housing thereof being removed to expose the operating parts therein.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on the line IIII Fig. 1.

Fig. i is a detail front elevation, broken out, of the means for locking and actuating the discharge means.

Fig. 5 is an edge view, looking down, of a trigger or rocking latch used in the construction.

Fig. 6 is a rear view of the ratchet device, the spring and trigger associated therewith.

In the views 5 designates the. mixing drum which is of the non-tilting variety rotatable within a suitable frame 10. 6 designates the bucket for charging the drum with the solids to be mixed, the water to be otherwise added as usual, said drum being pivoted at 7 to be swungby suitable power to and from the drum charging opening. 8 designates the drum-discharging means, it consisting of a chute fixed on a shaft 9 journaled on the frame 10. The shaft 9 has fixed to one of itsends a crank arm 9 to which is attached one end of a link 11 the other end of said link 1927. Serial No. 199,105.

being connected with a crank arm on a hand lever 12 fulcrumed on the frame so that the chute can be raised at the inner end within the drum to catch the mixed concrete materials to discharge them as well understood and is now common in machines of this variety. The other end of the shaft 9 has affixed to it a crank arm 13 the end of which is adapted to engage the lower or hook-end of a latch lever 40 pivoted on the frame 10, said latch lever, when held in engaging position, being adapted to prevent the operation of the discharge means by the hand lever 12.

Mounted on the frame 10 is a suitable housing 14 through which vertically and slid ingly extends a rod 15 having at its lower end a roller 16 lying in the path of a lug 17 on the drum, said lug adapted to project the rod upward each time the lug passes under it. Within the housing the rod 15 has pivoted to it a pawl 18, the end of which is adapted to engage a ratchet wheel 19 journaled in the wall of the housing, the pawl being pressed toward the ratchet wheel by a small spring 20 between the rod and the pawl. The ratch et wheel has attached to it an ordinary clock spring 21 tending to turn the wheel clockwise; but to hold the ratchet wheel when turned anti-clockwise by the ratchet 18 there is provided a spring-held dog 22 pivoted on the lower wall of the housing to engage the ratchet tooth next below.

Sliding horizontally in holes in the end walls of the housing and in line with the upper arm of the latch lever 13 is a bar 23 having its lower edge provided with a notch 24 and an inclined 'edgeportion 25 to the left of said notch. Pivoted on the axis of the ratchet wheel is a detent lever 26 the left hand arm of which engages the bar 23 and the other arm of which is engaged by a pin 27 on the rear side of the ratchet wheel 19.

The ratchet wheel 19 is provided around its margin with an annular series of regularly spaced holes 28 into any of which can be temporarily secured a pin 29, the selected hole to contain said pin determining the number of revolutions of the drum prior to the sounding of a signal and the release of the discharge means as hereinafter set forth.

Sliding horizontally in holes in the end walls of the housing and parallel to the bar 23 is another bar 30 carrying a pawl 31 pivoted thereon held on the bar by a leafspring 31 5 and adapted to engage a tooth 32 in the upper edge of the bar 23when said bar is approi.npriatelyshoved to the left as hereinafter described. The bar 30 and its pawl 31 are held to the right with the pawl normally disen- 'gaged from the tooth 32 by means of a coil compression spring'33 around the bar and between the left hand wall of the housing and a pin 34 on said bar. A stop pin 3O on the bar 30 beyond the housing limits the right hand normal position of the bar 30. Said bar 30 has a prolongation thereof 30 hinged thereto, said prolongation being supported in a'perforated bracket and terminating at apoint to be impinged by the charging bucket 6 when the latter is drawn upward toward .drum charging position. The terminus of the prolongation '30" is so located that the swing of the bucket shall be ample to cause a sufiicient leftward movement of the pawl 30 to engage the tooth 32 and move the bar 30 leftward as hereinafter described. WVhen the bar 3.0-is. moved to the left the tooth is dis engaged by cam 41 when the bar is slightly beyond the position where the trigger 26 engages the notch 24.

" Suitably mounted on the lower wall of the case is aspring contact 35 of a suitable electric circuit 36 in which is an audible signal 7 means 37 ,said spring contact lying in the path of the pin 29-so that when said pin con- {tacts with said spring the circuit is closed and the signal sounded.

The operation is this: The position of the parts: of the metering means shown in Fig. 2 are the sam'eas shown in Fig. 1 where the discharge means is locked from operation. The mixing drum is assumed as constantly rotating in the direction indicated by the arrow. During, each rotation of the drum the lugll? thereon lifts the bar 15 thereby movingthe ratchet wheel 19 one tooth. Thereafter the bar returns to its normal position by gravity. This operation continues until the pin-29 contacts with the spring member 35 whereupon the signal 37 is sounded. A further rotation of the ratchet '19 causes the pin '27 to strike the trigger 26 disengaging it from the slide bar 23 leaving its point in position to be :acted on by the inclined surface 25 of that 'bar. The spring 23 then moves latch 4:0?ClOCkW1S8 and unlocks lever 13 and pushes bar 23 to the right after which the attendant can-operate hand lever 12 to raise the inner end 'of -the discharge chute 8 to discharging position; The inclined portion or cam 25 of said bar 23 depresses the left hand end of the trigger 26 and'raises the right hand end there- ;of, the pin 26 in which removes both the dog .20'and the pawl 18from thepath of the teethof the-ratchet wheel 19 thereby permitting that wheel to return clockwise to normal position-as determined by a pin 19 on the rear side of said ratchet, said pin arresting the clock-wise movement of the ratchet by contact with the right hand arm of the trigger 26. In this position of the parts the bar 15 reciprocates idly, and during the time the attendant is discharging the drum. The attendant holds the discharge means in discharging position until the discharge is complete. Upon release of the hand lever 12 by the attendant the chute returns to non-discharging position by gravity thereby raising the crank arm 13 to be again engaged by the latching device 40. The bucket or charging means 6 is then raised to recharge the drum with the materials to be mixed. In doing this the bucket strikes rod 30 thereby moving the dog 31 to the left, which engaging the tooth 32 in the bar 23 moves the latter to the left, turning the latch lever 10 anticlockwise and the lower end thereof into hooking engagement with the crank arm 13. The ca 111 41 disengages the dog 31 from tooth 32 in the highest position of the bucket 6 after having locked the discharge chute thereby permitting the timing mechanism to operate independently of the position of the bucket. When the charging bucket 6 is lowered the spring 33 restores the upper slide bar to its normal position ready for another operation. When the slide bar 23 is advanced to effect the latching of the discharge means the spring 21 of the ratchet wheel, aided by the spring 21, restores the rocking lever to its bar latching position as shown in Fig. 2 after which the apparatus is ready for a repetition of the operation.

The forms of the parts can be changed without departing from the gist of the invention as claimed.

What I claim is:

1. In a machine having a rotary mixing drum, a charging and a discharging means for the drum, and a latch for latching the discharging means in inoperative position. a sliding bar for holdingsaid latch in said latching position, a trigger for holding said sliding bar in said position, a timing mechanism actuated by the rotation. of the mixing drum with means associated therewith for retaining said trigger engaged with the said sliding bar to hold the same in latch-holding position, means actuated by the timing means to release said trigger, means for removing said bar from latch-holding position, and means for resetting said latch-holding bar.

2. In a machine having a rotary mixing drum, a charging and a discharging means for the drum, and a latch for latching the discharging means in inoperative position. a sliding bar for holding said latch in said latching position, a trigger for holding said sliding bar in said position, a timing mechanism actuated by the rotation of the mixing drum with means associated therewith for retaining said trigger engaged with the sliding bar to hold the same in latch-holding position, said timing means including a ratchet and a pawl means for actuating the ratchet with a step by step movement, means actuated by the timing means to release said trigger, means for removing said bar from latch-holding position, means on said sliding bar actuated by the discharge latching means to actuate said trigger to release the pawl means of the timing mechanism and means for resetting said latch-holding bar.

3. In a machine having a rotary mixing drum, a charging and a discharging means for the drum, and a latch for latching the discharging means in inoperative position, a sliding bar for holding said latch in said latching position, a trigger for holding said sliding bar in said position, a timing mechanism actuated by the rotation of the mixing drum, said timing means including a rotary ratchet, a pawl means for actuating the same with a step by step movement, means on said ratchet to release said trigger from said sliding bar, and means on said ratchet for restoring said trigger to bar latching position after predetermined step movements of the ratchet.

l. In a machine having a rotary mixing drum, a charging and a discharging means for the drum, and a latch for latching the discharging means in inoperative position, a sliding bar for holding said latch in latching position, a trigger for holding said sliding bar in said position, a timing mechanism actuated by the rotation oi. the mixing drum, said timing means including a rotary ratchet, a pawl means for actuating the same with a step by step movement, means on said ratchet to release said trigger from said sliding bar, means on said ratchet for restoring said trig ger to bar latching position after a predetermined number of step movements of the ratchet, and means on the trigger for releasing said pawl means.

5. In a machine having a rotary mixing drum, a charging and a discharging means for the drum, and a latch for latching the discharging means in inoperative position, a sliding bar for holding said latch in latching position, a trigger for holding said sliding bar in said position, a timing mechanism actuated by the rotation of the mixing drum, said timing means including a rotary ratchet, a pawl means for actuating the same with a step by step movement, means on said ratchet to release said trigger from said sliding bar, means on said ratchet for restoring said trigger to bar latching position after a predetermined number of step movements oi the ratchet, and means on the trigger actuated by the sliding bar for releasing said pawl means.

6. In a machine having a rotary mix ing drum, a charging and a discharging means for the drum, and a latch for latching the discharging means in inoperative position, a notched sliding bar actuated by the charging means for holding said latch in said position, a ratchet and atrigger with a spring connecting them, said trigger to engage the notch of the bar, means actuated by the drum for feeding the ratchet, means on the ratchet limiting the movement of the ratchet respecting the trigger, means on the ratchet for releasing the trigger from the notch of the bar, and means on the trigger for removing the feeding means from the ratchet.

7. In a machinehaving a rotary mixing drum, a charging and a discharging means for the drum, and a latch for latching the discharging means in inoperative position, a notched sliding bar actuated by the charging means for holding said latch in said po sition, a timing means for the rotations of the drum including a ratchet, pawl means actuated by the mixing drum for intermittently moving the ratchet, a trigger for engagingthe notch of the bar, a spring connecting the trigger with the ratchet. said trigger having means thereon for limiting the movement of the ratchet with respect thereto, means on the ratchet for releasing the trigger from the notch of the bar, and means on the trigger for removing the pawl means from engagement with the ratchet.

8. In a machine having a rotary mixing drum, a charging and a discharging means for the drum, and a latch for latching the discharging means in inoperative position, a signal means, a sliding bar actuated by the charging means and having a notch therein for holding said latch in said position, a timing means for the rotations of the drum including a ratchet, pawl. means actuated by the drum for intermittently moving the ratchet, a trigger for engaging the notch of the bar, a spring connecting said trigger with the ratchet, said trigger having means thereon for limiting the movement of the ratchet with respect thereto. means on the ratchet for releasing the trigger from the notch of the bar, means on the ratchet for operating the signal means, and means on the trigger for removing the pawl means "from the ratchet.

9. In a machine having a rotary mixing drum, a charging and a discharging means for the drum, and a latch for latching the discharging means in inoperative position, a sliding bar actuated by the charging means and having a notch and cam thereon, a trigger to latch said bar from movement in one direction, a timing means for the rotations of the drum including a rotary spring actuated ratchet, pawl means actuated by the drum for intermittently actuating the ratchet to remove the trigger from said bar, said cam adapted to actuate the trigger to remove the pawl means from the ratchet.

'10; In aima'chine having arotary mixing drum, a charging and a discharging means for the drum, and a latch for latching the discharging means in inoperative position,

I a sIidin 'bar actuated by the charging means for holdingsaid latch in said position, said bar having a notch and cam thereon, a trigger to engage said notch to hold said bar from movement-in one direction, a timing in mechanism for the rotations'of the drum including a rotary spring actuated ratchet, pawl means for intermittently actuating the ratchet with a step by step movement, means on the ratchet for removing the trigger from bar-latching position after a predetermined number ofactuations of the ratchet,rmeans on'said latch for moving said bar out of latching position, and means on the trigger actuated by the cam of said bar to release said pawl means from the ratchet.

11. "In a machine having a rotary-mixing drum, a charging and a'discharging means for the drum, and a latch for latching the discharging means in inoperative position,

. 5 a sliding bar actuated by the charging means for holding said latch in, said position and having a notch and cam thereon, a trigger to engage said notch to hold said bar from movement inone direction, a timing mechanism for the rotations of the drum including a rotary spring actuated ratchet, a pawl means for: intermittently actuating the ratchet with a 'step by step movement, means on said'ratchet to remove the trigger from said notch, and means on the ratchet actuated by the cam of the bar for releasing said pawl from the ratchet and means on the ratchet for arresting the ratchet after the release of the pawl means;

1 12. In a machine having a rotary mixing drum, a charging and a discharging means I forthe drum, and a latch for latching the discharging means in inoperative position,

a sliding bar for holding said latch in said position and havinga notch and a cam thereon, atrigger to engage said notch to hold said bar from movement in one direction, a

timing mechanism for the rotations of the g V drum; including 'a rotary spring actuated 5o ratchet, a pawl means for intermittently uactuating the ratchet with a step by step movemenhmeans on said ratchet to remove .thetriggerfrom said notch after a predetermined number of step movements of the L ratchet, and a" spring-retracted means actuated by the charging means for setting said sliding bar in position to be engaged by said trigger. a r

-' I. V V JOSEPH EGGERT. 

